1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to heat dissipation devices for use with electronic device and, particularly, to an active heat sink with rotating heat-dissipating fins.
2. Description of Related Art
As integrated circuits and other heat-generating electronic devices are made smaller and designed to operate at increasingly higher processing speeds, they generate increasing amounts of unwanted heat during operation. Excessive heat generated during operation can harm heat-generating electronic device performance and reliability and can cause system failure. A thermal management such as heat sink has accordingly become an increasingly important element in the design of heat-generating electronic products.
Heat sinks are typically used to dissipate heat from the surface of heat-generating electronic components to a cooler environment, usually ambient air. A heat sink typically includes a thermally conductive base plate that interfaces directly with a heat-generating electronic device to be cooled and a set of fins extending from the base plate. The fins increase the surface area that is in direct contact with the air to thereby increase heat transfer efficiency.
Active heat sinks are heat sinks equipped with air driving devices (such as fans and blowers) for forcing airflow across surfaces of the fins and passages between the fins. The airflow further increases heat transfer from the fins to the surrounding air. However, the air driving device causes the active heat sinks to be bulky and makes the active heat sink having a complex structure.
What is needed, therefore, is an active heat sink which can overcome the described limitations.